It is certainly not the cheapest city in the world but I loved Vienna and we had the best time in the city, seeing the sights including a light musical concert in Schonberg Palace, riding the trams, catching the underground train, being amused by a hundpark, seeing glamorous older women dressed to the nines with beautifully styled hair and coffee cake in a cafe dating back to the 15th century. I won't mention the awful Spanish horse dancing. It is so distressing to hear of a crazy Muslim attack on the citizens of Vienna resulting in four deaths and many injuries as gun wielding criminals rampaged through inner areas.
It would be wrong to say you haven't lived unless you have eaten apple strudel and custard (vanilla sauce) in Vienna, but I am so glad I did before the world went crazy.
In my opinion it's all the fault of this Hebdo Charly ! Why do they comics about a god and show him naked ?? That's not fun or humor or even black humor anymore, I want to see the Christians if the Muslims would make fun of Jesus hanging naked at the cross ! Even Google would take it out !
ReplyDeleteGattina, I doubt any religion has been made more fun of than Christianity. I see it every day.
DeleteI am a Christian. We are not all fundamentalist Christians, just as all Muslims are not fundamentalist. If you doubt our ability to laugh at ourselves, I suggest you go to the facebook page High Church Coyote. It is not Muslim that is wrong, or Christianity that is wrong, or ANY faith for that matter. Where it goes terribly, awfully wrong is when it reverts to fundamentalist thinking, which turns everything in this world to right or wrong. It views the world through ONE lens, and one perspective. It demands that every person must think as they do, or they are wrong. That is when 'faith' turns deadly, and we are seeing it unfold right here before our very eyes.
ReplyDeleteDebby, while I am not a believer of any kind and I don't understand why anyone would be, I do respect that some people are and have a faith in a greater being. I was brought up as a Christian but me being gay and the church did not get along in my mind. Christians of my youth may have tolerated me, but never approved of me. I dislike extremism of any type. It is all so different now for gay men and religion, but I am old and I remember.
DeleteI understand your disbelief. There is a lot TO disbelieve. Things have changed in the church. My own church stepped forward and performed the first church wedding for a gay couple in this county. I served at it. Matt and Corey are good people. Matt is the son of a good friend. The grandson of the oldest member of our church. She has such wonderful stories of the 'old days in our church'. I look at her dear face as she talks and I think about that. As a young woman, I imagine her views on the topic of gay marriage would have been quite different. What a journey it must have been to reach the point where she stood in her church weeping with joy at the wedding of her grandson. As far as 'being', I'm not quite sure I see it that way. I think that I believe in 'greater'. I believe that there is something greater than ourselves and that we ought to serve it. The Bible is a human attempt to find the words to explain what they don't completely understand. Look around you Andrew, and I will guarantee that you see something 'greater'. The sea. The earth. Your fellow man. When you see something greater, serve it. My best.
DeleteThese attacks are distressing, for sure -- not just in Vienna but in France and elsewhere. As Debby said, any kind of extremism is dangerous.
ReplyDeleteSteve, yes of course. But I focus on Vienna because we had such a good time there.
DeleteI keep going back to Vienna because it was the cultural centre of the universe - music, architecture, cuisine, visual and decorative arts, book publications, universities etc.
ReplyDeleteIt goes to show... even in educated and cultivated cities, terrible things can happen.
Hels, a wonderful city for sure. Aside from the Moslems, I always feel there is underlying current in Austria against Jews.
DeleteI couldn't believe it when I saw the news Awesome Andrew and was truly saddened. Violence of any sort is simply ridiculous and never solves a problem, nor will it make someone change their religion or sexuality, and none of us can change our color. I just don't get why people don't understand that and accept each other for who we are without the assault, murder and discrimination. Everyone deserves to live in peace and safety. I sure hope you've been feeling well, my friend and I'm sending hugs. Today, November 3, is our election day, so many of us will be watching the news for updates. RO
ReplyDeleteThanks RO. An election in your country? I had no idea.😜
DeleteExtremism is toxic. Can't we all just get along?
ReplyDeleteCynthia, it certainly is the extremists that cause the problems.
DeleteWordless.
ReplyDeleteTravel, what can we do.
Deletestrudel and custard sounds wonderful. It's horrible about more violence. Instead of getting a gun, nursing their anger, they should have sat down with friends and had strudel and custard.
ReplyDeleteStayer, and flick custard at each other if they can't agree.
DeleteIt was distressing to read this. Extremism is terrifying as there's no logic. I walked away from the religion I was brought up in years and years ago and it was extreme. For the prayers included those for the "infidels" i.e. Jews and Muslims.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
WWW, that's about all we can do.
DeleteVery sad and cruel what has happened in France and now in Austria.
ReplyDeleteSami, France can be a bit crazy at times, but you don't think of Austria like that.
DeleteI spent a wonderful time in Vienna. Schnitzel to die for and Apple Strudel and cream! I did the Sound of Music tour and listened to music in the square. Yes, I loved Vienna. The Vienna of 30 years ago. So much sadness.
ReplyDeleteMaribeth, we did miss schnitzel but did do the Sound of Music tour.
DeleteFundamentalists (of any variety) horrify and scare me.
ReplyDeleteEC, always with the attitude, I am right and you are wrong.
DeleteI grew up on apple strudel with custard although sometimes we had cream instead of the custard and we ate schnitzel every week too and these days I still eat schnitzel, but chicken instead of pork or veal. I'd like to visit Vienna one day, but if I wait for world peace I'll never get there.
ReplyDeleteRiver, perhaps my favourite dessert. I love schnitzel too, especially veal, which used to be common but now nearly always chicken.
DeleteI'm almost too upset to think about these Jihadis any more. Sadly their behaviour makes us think of solutions that are unkind and unhelpful, but we are left with no other options.
ReplyDeleteYeah Cro. I don't know why I bother. But Austria! Really!
DeleteThe world has gone mad.. I'm pretty sure it's all #45's fault!
ReplyDelete